A model for decoherence of entangled beauty

In the context of the entangled $B^0 \bar B^0$ state produced at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance, we consider a modification of the usual quantum-mechanical time evolution with a dissipative term, which contains only one parameter denoted by $\lambda$ and respects complete positivity. In this way a decoherence effect is introduced in the time evolution of the 2-particle $B^0 \bar B^0$ state, which becomes stronger with increasing distance between the two particles. While our model of time evolution has decoherence for the 2-particle system, we assume that, after the decay of one of the two B mesons, the resulting 1-particle state obeys the purely quantum-mechanical time evolution. From the data on dilepton events we derive an upper bound on $\lambda$. We also show how $\lambda$ is related to the so-called ``decoherence parameter'' $\zeta$, which parameterizes decoherence in neutral flavoured meson--antimeson systems.Comment: 11 pages, revtex. Two references and some comments added, version to be published in Phys. Rev.

Bell inequalities for entangled kaons and their unitary time evolution

We investigate Bell inequalities for neutral kaon systems from Phi resonance decay to test local realism versus quantum mechanics. We emphasize the unitary time evolution of the states, that means we also include all decay product states, in contrast to other authors. Only this guarantees the use of the complete Hilbert space. We develop a general formalism for Bell inequalities including both arbitrary "quasi spin" states and different times; finally we analyze Wigner-type inequalities. They contain an additional term, a correction function h, as compared to the spin 1/2 or photon case, which changes considerably the possibility of quantum mechanics to violate the Bell inequality. Examples for special "quasi spin" states are given, especially those which are sensitive to the CP parameters epsilon and epsilon'.Comment: REVTeX, 22 page

Quantum mechanics, Furry's hypothesis and a measure of decoherence in the K^0 \bar{K}^0 system

We consider strangeness correlations of the EPR type in K^0 \bar{K}^0 pairs created in a J^{PC} = 1^{--} state as a function of time under the hypothesis that spontaneous decoherence takes place. We parameterize the degree of decoherence by a factor (1-\zeta) which multiplies the quantum-mechanical interference terms occurring in the amplitudes for like and unlike strangeness events and discuss the dependence of this procedure on the basis chosen in the K^0--\bar{K}^0 space to which the interference terms correspond. Consequently, all statements about the ``decoherence parameter'' \zeta inferred from experimental data are basis-dependent as well. We illustrate this point by estimating the value of \zeta for the two bases {K_L, K_S} and {K^0, \bar{K}^0} with the help of recent data of the CPLEAR experiment.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, revte

Entanglement, Bell Inequalities and Decoherence in Particle Physics

We demonstrate the relevance of entanglement, Bell inequalities and decoherence in particle physics. In particular, we study in detail the features of the ``strange'' $K^0 \bar K^0$ system as an example of entangled meson--antimeson systems. The analogies and differences to entangled spin--1/2 or photon systems are worked, the effects of a unitary time evolution of the meson system is demonstrated explicitly. After an introduction we present several types of Bell inequalities and show a remarkable connection to CP violation. We investigate the stability of entangled quantum systems pursuing the question how possible decoherence might arise due to the interaction of the system with its ``environment''. The decoherence is strikingly connected to the entanglement loss of common entanglement measures. Finally, some outlook of the field is presented.Comment: Lectures given at Quantum Coherence in Matter: from Quarks to Solids, 42. Internationale Universit\"atswochen f\"ur Theoretische Physik, Schladming, Austria, Feb. 28 -- March 6, 2004, submitted to Lecture Notes in Physics, Springer Verlag, 45 page

An Essential Role for DYF-11/MIP-T3 in Assembling Functional Intraflagellar Transport Complexes

MIP-T3 is a human protein found previously to associate with microtubules and the kinesin-interacting neuronal protein DISC1 (Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1), but whose cellular function(s) remains unknown. Here we demonstrate that the C. elegans MIP-T3 ortholog DYF-11 is an intraflagellar transport (IFT) protein that plays a critical role in assembling functional kinesin motor-IFT particle complexes. We have cloned a loss of function dyf-11 mutant in which several key components of the IFT machinery, including Kinesin-II, as well as IFT subcomplex A and B proteins, fail to enter ciliary axonemes and/or mislocalize, resulting in compromised ciliary structures and sensory functions, and abnormal lipid accumulation. Analyses in different mutant backgrounds further suggest that DYF-11 functions as a novel component of IFT subcomplex B. Consistent with an evolutionarily conserved cilia-associated role, mammalian MIP-T3 localizes to basal bodies and cilia, and zebrafish mipt3 functions synergistically with the Bardet-Biedl syndrome protein Bbs4 to ensure proper gastrulation, a key cilium- and basal body-dependent developmental process. Our findings therefore implicate MIP-T3 in a previously unknown but critical role in cilium biogenesis and further highlight the emerging role of this organelle in vertebrate development

Towards a Critical Sociology of Dominant Ideologies: An Unexpected Reunion between Pierre Bourdieu and Luc Boltanski

This article aims to demonstrate the enduring relevance of Pierre Bourdieu and Luc Boltanski’s ‘La production de l’idéologie dominante’ [‘The production of the dominant ideology’], which was originally published in Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales in 1976. More than three decades later, in 2008, a re-edited version of this study was printed in book format as La production de l’idéologie dominante, which was accompanied by a detailed commentary, written by Luc Boltanski and entitled Rendre la réalité inacceptable. À propos de « La production de l’idéologie dominante » [Making Reality Unacceptable. Comments on ‘The production of the dominant ideology’]. In addition to containing revealing personal anecdotes and providing important sociological insights, this commentary offers an insider account of the genesis of one of the most seminal pieces Boltanski co-wrote with his intellectual father, Bourdieu. In the Anglophone literature on contemporary French sociology, however, the theoretical contributions made both in the original study and in Boltanski’s commentary have received little – if any – serious attention. This article aims to fill this gap in the literature, arguing that these two texts can be regarded not only as forceful reminders of the fact that the ‘dominant ideology thesis’ is far from obsolete but also as essential for understanding both the personal and the intellectual underpinnings of the tension-laden relationship between Bourdieu and Boltanski. Furthermore, this article offers a critical overview of the extent to which the unexpected, and partly posthumous, reunion between ‘the master’ (Bourdieu) and his ‘dissident disciple’ (Boltanski) equips us with powerful conceptual tools, which, whilst illustrating the continuing centrality of ‘ideology critique’, permit us to shed new light on key concerns in contemporary sociology and social theory. Finally, the article seeks to push the debate forward by reflecting upon several issues that are not given sufficient attention by Bourdieu and Boltanski in their otherwise original and insightful enquiry into the complexities characterizing the daily production of ideology

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio